DISCUSIÓN

Several statuettes and figures were found in the temple of Empel. These artefacts were commonly used

attributes of sacrifice for deities in a cult place (Beard 2008, 730). However, archaeologists cannot

confirm which deity was worshipped in a cult place from the presence of small statuettes and figures

only. Only larger cult statues can provide important (and definitive) information about the deities

worshipped in a temple complex (Weddle 2010, 1–2; Revell 2007, 185–187).

In the fifth chapter of Roymans’ and Derks’ book, the statuettes and figures found at the Empel

site are described. This chapter is titled: ‘Een vergoddelijkte Hercules en andere bronzen beelden’

(translated: A deified Hercules and other bronze statuettes –

book

not available in English) (Roymans and

Derks 1994, 82). With this title the authors claim that the statuette of Hercules is more important than

the other statuettes found. The Hercules statuette (inventory number 1271, Figure 4) was found in the

modern layers of the temple complex and has therefore no further find context. This statuette is only 8.1

cm tall and shows a naked bearded man. On his shoulders lies an animal skin, which is interpreted/seen

as the skin of the Nemean lion Hercules defeated in the myths. His right hand holds a cup and his left

hand is empty. Scholars assumed that this empty hand originally held a club (Roymans and Derks 1994,

83–84).

47

This composition is known as Hercules bibax (Hercules

the drinker) and is a reference to the myth in which Hercules acts

as a drunk. This image of Hercules bibax was known in the entire

Roman Empire, and similar statuettes were found in Alife

(Winter 1918, 315), Hatra (Downey 1968, 216), Rome (Barry

2011, 21) and Volsinii (Busbey 2007, 35), for example. Also,

these statuettes were found in different kinds of settings such as

households, military camps or temple complexes and are

interpreted as evidence for either private worship or serving as

lucky charms (Barry 2011, 21; Busbey 2007, 35-36; Downey

1968, 216; Winter 19818, 316).

In the region of Germania Inferior, another Hercules

bibax statuette was found in the Roman fort in Velsen (Figure 16)

(Bosman 1997, 318). Roymans and Derks have used the find of this statuette to prove that Hercules was

worshipped by military men (Roymans and Derks 1994, 85-86). However, these two statuettes are

similar in type only. Bosman states that this statuette is proof of personal devotion by a soldier to

Hercules, and Bosman sees it more as a lucky charm and not as proof that all soldiers worshipped

Hercules or that soldiers were commonly devoted to Hercules (Bosman 1997, 318). Parallels made

between the Empel and Velsen statuettes are therefore incorrect.

Roymans and Derks have used the Hercules statuette from Empel as one of their main evidences

to support their conclusion that Hercules was worshipped in the temple of Empel (Roymans and Derks

1994, 83). However, this statuette is only 8.1 cm tall and is not a true cult statuette. Scholars state that

only cult statues are considered to be evidence that a temple was dedicated to the god a cult statuette

represents (Weddle 2010, 1-2; Revell 2007, 185-187). It is more likely that this statuette was from a

house altar or used as an object of personal devotion (Weddle 2010, 227). Moreover, the find context of

this statuette was lost, and with this a lot of information on how this artefact was used in worship. The

fact that this Hercules statuette was found in Empel does suggest that Hercules was worshipped there,

but there is no definitive evidence that he was the main god of this temple complex.

Besides the Hercules statuette, other parts of statuettes were found in Empel. A finger (unknown

inventory number), a toe (inventory number 4947, Figure 17) and a shoe (inventory number 4583, Figure

18) were found. The size of the finger and toe suggests that these come from different statuettes. The

finger belongs to a life-size statue and the toe to a 30–40 cm tall statuette. The finger shows that it was

probably a production error and that it therefore been had cut off from the statue. This confirms that

craftsmen working with bonze were present around the Empel temple complex (Roymans and Derks

1994, 86-87). Moreover, the presence of bronze craftmanship is evidence for the different elements that

Figure 16: Statuette of Hercules bibax found in Velsen (Rijksmuseum van Oudheden)

48

Figure 17: Photo and drawing of toe, inventory number 4947

(picture made by author, drawing Roymans and Derks 1994, 87).

Figure 18: Photo of shoe, inventory number 4583 (picture made by author).

Figure 19: Photo of head, inventory number 6255 (picture made by author).

49

took place in a temple complex, as this shows that, besides the religious elements around a temple

complex, there was also craftmanship present (Warrior 2005, 18). Another artefact is a part of a 2 cm

long foot, which was found in the upper layers when pit 5 was established (inventory number 4947).

Therefore, no find context could be established and this partial foot was found on this particular location

probably as a result of the land levelling process. The tin remaining on the bottom of this partial foot

suggests that it was attached to a pedestal.

Also, a small boot (inventory number 4583, Figure 18) of 4.2 cm was found when pit 8 was

established in combination with a bronze head, inventory number 6255. Appendix 91 shows the

drawings of pit 8, but no further find context has been found. The objects were found inside the temple

complex, near the robber trench of the northern cella wall. These shoes were worn by emperors, since

emperor Augustus, so this find could have been a part of a statuette of an emperor. However, these shoes

were also worn by several deities, such as Mars, Diana, and Bacchus. Therefore, the statuette could have

represented a god as well. For this reason, these loose elements of fingers, feet or toes that were found

there, do not say much about the cult place in Empel.

A small 1.9 cm tall head (inventory number 6255) of a man was also found in pit 8 (Figure 19).

There is no find context pertaining to this object, other than that it was found nearby the construction of

pit 8, where the robber trenches of a northern cella wall were located (Appendix 91). The style of this

head is slightly odd and not in a traditional Roman style. Normally, the Romans cast bronze statuettes

in moulds, but this object was modelled by hand. The head that was found in Empel did not belong to a

statuette. Traces on the back of this artefact reveal that it was attached to something else, such as a knife,

door, wagon, or a belt hook (Roymans and Derks 1994, 89). It is hard to derive much information about

religious practices from this object, as it may have been attached to anything, and no ideography is

evident. Besides the head of a man, a 6.6 cm bust of Luna was found (Figure 20). This bust, like the

head, used to be attached to something (Roymans and Derks 1994, 88-89). Again, here there was no

proper find context, making it difficult to draw conclusions therewith. Moreover, the bust of Luna is

evidence that, besides Hercules, another god(dess) was found in the temple of Empel.

The next item found is a 2.6 cm tall head of a bull (Figure 21). This head is rectangular and is

decorated with stripes and dots. The round ends of the horns indicate a late Iron Age style and this

manner/style is found in several areas of Germania. These heads did not belong to statuettes, but were

decorative figures attached to objects instead. These artefacts could have been a part of multiple objects,

as seen with similar artefacts found in Britain, such as knives and buckets (portable antiquities scheme

of Great Britain, number SWYOR-8447B2, LVPL-8F38B0). The style of this bull’s head figure, and

information from similar artefacts found suggest that this object dates back to the Iron Age. Beside the

bull’s head, a 2 cm tall bronze statuette of a dog standing on a block (inventory number 4642, Figure

22) was found in the backfilling of a pit. However, there is no description of which pit it concerned.

50

Figure 22: Photo of dog statuette (picture made by author). Figure 21: Drawing of the head from bronze bull figure

(Roymans and Derks 1994, 86)

Figure 23: Photo and small drawing of trip from the doc of a cult statue (Picture Erfgoed ‘s-Hertogenbosch, drawing Renswoude 2010, 22).

51

Therefore, there is no find context of this statuette. The dog’s tail is looped so this figure can be

worn as a pendant. The dog and the bull’s head could represent anything and could be either a sacrificial

votive offer or the animal version or companion of a deity, so which deities these objects represent

cannot be determined (Smith 1999, 35).

During the excavation of 2007, a 7.4 cm long decorated bronze strip from a pedestal from a

large statue (inventory number 24244, Figure 23) was found. This pedestal strip shows several saw

marks, which indicates that the pedestal was sawed into pieces and probably reused afterwards for

casting other bronze objects (Renswoude 2010, 22). This object was found in the top layers of pit 3

during the 2007 excavation. There is no find context, but this artefact probably belonged to the temple

complex. The land consolidation might have moved this artefact to this particular location. On the

pedestal, acanthus leaves are the only decorative elements (Renswoude 2010, 22). Acanthus leaves were

a popular decoration style in Ancient Greece and during the Roman periods. Unlike some other leaves,

acanthus leaves are not associated to a specific god, but were only used as a decorative element (Neer

2017, 206). Renswoude and Derks claim that this was the decorated pedestal on which the cult statue

from the temple of Empel was placed (Renswoude 2010, 22). Unfortunately, archaeologists did not find

the statue belonging to this pedestal, and therefore this strip alone cannot indicate which god or goddess

was displayed on this pedestal in the temple of Empel.

The only other object, with figurative elements found during the 2007 excavation, is the head

of a woman on the handle of a patera (Figure 24). A patera was an object used to offer a libation to the

gods. This handle was forcedly broken off the patera, which was a common practice in Roman days to

make an object unusable for an offering (Flower 2017, 49). The head of the woman is stylistic and not

recognisable as a certain goddess (Renswoude 2010, 22). Moreover, decorative paterae with the head

of a woman are commonly found in the whole Roman Empire, in religious and non-religious contexts

(Bromwich 2009, 69). It is hard to compare this patera with other paterae (Flower 2017, 50). The handle

of the patera alone cannot determine which god or goddess the libation was meant for. Besides this

patera, two other paterae were found in the modern layers of the temple complex in 1989 (inventory

number 1001, 10028). These paterae are not decorated and do not have clear marks of offering use

(Renswoude 2010, 23).

In conclusion, several statuettes and figures were found, but most of these cannot be used to

determine which deity (or deities) was worshipped in the temple complex, other than Hercules and Luna.

Additionally, no evidence was found that proofs or indicates that Hercules was more important there

than other deities. However, the evidence does suggest that, besides Hercules, more deities, such as

Luna, were worshipped in the temple of Empel. The worship of multiple deities concords with the

general idea of Roman religion (Warrior 2005, 16).

52

In document Efectividad del Herbst y Advansync en los cambios esqueléticos y dentoalveolares según el estadío de maduración vertebral en pacientes Clase Il esqueletal Una prueba clínica aleatorizada (página 49-54)